US Open Tennis 2014: Latest Predictions for Men and Women's Finals

After 13 days of some highly competitive tennis, the 2014 U.S. Open's finals are set. On the women's side, No. 1 Serena Williams will take on No. 10 Caroline Wozniacki—not too far-fetched of a result. As for the men's side, to say the two remaining competitors were unexpected may be the understatement of the year.

No. 10 Kei Nishikori shocked the world, defeating No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. Not to be outdone, No. 14 Marin Cilic disposed of No. 2 Roger Federer shortly after, forming an improbable final. Although, the way these two have been playing of late, we're sure in for some compelling tennis.

Before the women face off on Sunday, and the men on Monday, let's take a look at each matchup and predict the winners of this year's U.S. Open.

Finals Predictions

(1) Serena Williams vs. (10) Caroline Wozniacki

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

While Williams may have struggled a bit through the first three majors of the year, she certainly hasn't continued that trend in New York. Not only has Williams looked to be in great form in the U.S. Open, she's absolutely demolished her opponents. In her six matches, she has not dropped a single set.

Although, she'll be up against her toughest competition yet. Sports Illustrated tweeted about the highly anticipated matchup:

In her semifinal clash against No. 17 Ekaterina Makarova, Williams looked flawless in all phases of her game.

She averaged 104 mph on her serve, accumulating five aces and winning 77 percent of her first-serve points while also taking 65 percent of her second-serve points. Her aggressiveness shined through as well. Williams routinely went on the offensive and finished the match having won all six of her possible net points.

After the match, Makarova spoke of Williams' aggressiveness during a press conference, via USOpen.org:

"

Well, Serena, she's a great, unbelievable player. It's always tough to play against her. Today she was so aggressive. I don't know. Maybe I didn't think that she will be that aggressive. Like she's just coming, you know, so early, so sometimes I was too late because she was too fast. I don't know. I'm still so happy that I was in semis.

"

Speaking of aggressive play, Wozniacki showed what she can do when attacking in her semifinal showdown against Shuai Peng, taking 11 of a possible 15 net points.

The No. 10 seed doesn't have as dominating of a serve as Williams; however, what she lacks in velocity, she makes up for in her ability to put herself in position to win points on returns. Against Peng, Wozniacki won an impressive 51 percent of her receiving points.

While this matchup should be close, Williams gets the advantage. Wozniacki allowed Peng to convert 12 of her 15 net points in the semifinals. Given the top seed's aggressiveness, that will come into play in a big way.

Prediction: Williams wins; 6-4, 5-7, 6-3

(14) Marin Cilic vs. (10) Kei Nishikori

Julian Finney/Getty Images

The men's final features two players with polar-opposite playing styles. The hard-hitting Cilic relies heavily on his brutal serve and forehand, while Nishikori boasts a high level of accuracy and mobility.

Cilic was able to get past his last few opponents due to a good amount of control over his high-powered serve. Against Federer, the No. 14 seed tallied 13 aces and won 87 percent of his first-serve points thanks to a 122 mph average serve.

US Open Tennis tweeted a video of Cilic's devastating serve:

While Cilic's serve was great, it was only part of the reason for his surge though the tournament. He's been tremendous on the volley, using a nice overhand and backhand. Those shots helped him accumulate 43 winners and win 56 percent of medium rallies against the No. 2 seed.

Nishikori defeated Djokovic in an entirely different manner.

His serve only averages 106 mph, and that allowed him to win just 67 percent of his first-serve points. He thrives on his ability to win rallies, using his athleticism and mobility to get himself into good positions and force his opponents into unforced errors—Djokovic tallied 35 in the semifinals.

Live Tennis tweeted what the No. 10 seed's finals appearance means for his country:

"

Nishikori stuns Djokovic to become 1st Japanese Grand Slam finalist http://t.co/5UEIQKDJek pic.twitter.com/rpaL0pHSrG

— Live Tennis (@livetennis) September 6, 2014"

After his semifinal victory, Nishikori spoke of his confidence heading into the final during a press conference, via USOpen.org:

"

You know, I was ready to play, you know, these kind of players always. Especially this year I have been playing really well. I went to final in Masters once and, you know, I have been beating those top guys already. But I knew I was a little bit nervous, getting nervous, you know, first time semis here. But I think the confidence helped for today's match. I was playing really well and really aggressive, and, you know, didn't wait for the ball. Even the opponent is, you know, Novak, I was playing my tennis. Everything worked well today.

"

Nishikori proved he can handle opponents with big serves when he defeated No. 5 Milos Raonic earlier in the tournament. In that match, Raonic accumulated a whopping 35 aces; however, Nishikori's ability to win rallies—he won 66 percent of meduim rallies—earned him the match victory.

With the amount of endurance Nishikori displayed on Saturday, there's no reason to believe he won't be able to duplicate that same end result.

Prediction: Nishikori wins; 3-6, 7-5, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3